Adjustable divining rod device

ABSTRACT

There is disclosed herein equipment for a game including a divining rod device, gameboard and playing cards. The divining rod device includes a handle member having pivotally attached thereto a counterbalanced arm or rod with a magnet at one end thereof. The gameboard is of laminated construction and has a metal innerlayer. The playing cards have various indicia thereon and are positioned at indicated locations on the gameboard. The divining rod device is held by the handle member substantially parallel with the board and several inches thereabove. The end of the rod with the magnet is in the form of a pointer which is swept back and forth over the board until this end makes contact with a card on the board because of the attraction of the magnet to the board. In this manner, a card is selected to thereby provide a &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;reading&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; according to the game.

' 22 Filed:

United States Patent [1 1 Venditti Feb. 27, 1973 ADJUSTABLE DIVINING ROD DEVICE Arthur P. Venditti, Salem, Mass.

[73] Assignee: Reuben B. Klamer, Beverly Hills,

Calif.

Feb. 25, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 14,056

[75] Inventor:

[52] US. Cl ..46/241 [51] Int. Cl. ..A63h 33/26 [58] Field of Search ..46/24l 242; 273/l6l l M [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,550,316 12/1970 MacPherson ..46/242 3,136,544 6/1964 Strayer ..46/241 Primary Examiner--Louis G. Mancene Assistant Examiner-J. Q. Lever Attorney-Lyon & Lyon [57] ABSTRACT There is disclosed herein equipment for a game including a divining rod device, gameboard and playing cards. The divining rod device includes a handle member having pivotally attached thereto a counterbalanced arm or rod with a magnet at one end thereof. The gameboard is of laminated construction and has a metal innerlayer. The playing cards have various indicia thereon and are positioned at indicated locations on the gameboard. The divining rod device is held by the handle member substantially parallel with the board and several inches therea'bove. The end of the rod with the magnet is in the form of a pointer which is swept back and forth over the board until this end makes contact with a card on the board because of the attraction of the magnet to the board. In this manner, a card is selected to thereby provide a reading according to the game.

3 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures PATENTEDFEBZTIGYS SUN p ers0nalily Influence MERQURY luck chance SATURN health wisdom PLUTQ mystery mnersecrels SHEET 30F 6 MGQN imagirgagion creauylty illtllillOll JUPITER weqlth ambltion VENUS love romance INVENTOR. A6790? MfA/O/ZT/ PATENTEBFEB 27 I973 3 717, 950

SHEET '4 OF 6 ARIES THE RAM March 2| through April IQ QANGER THE GRAB June 2! through July 22 TAURUS THE BULL April 20 through May l9 GEMINI THE TWINS May 20 through June 20 VIRGG THE VIRGIN August 23 through September 22 SQGRPIG THE SGORVION LIBRA THE SQALES SAGIT'IARIUS September 23 @ctober 23 THE BQWMM through th h Noyleltglbglt; 23 (Dctober 22 November 2| ber 2| PISCZES THE FISH (ZAPRIQGRN TI IE G OAT AQUARIUS THE WATER QARRIER Februar 2O December 22 January 2| h gh through through Ma h 20 January 2| February 19 INVENTOR. AETHUE R V6/V0/77/ PATENTEDFEB271975 3.711950 SHEET 5 OF 6 mvsw'roa AFT/7W6 R MFA/M777 PATENTEB 3.717, 950 sum 6 er 6 I NVEN TOR. Azrwe l//VD/TT/ ADJUSTABLE DIVINING ROD DEVICE This invention relates to games and the like and more particularly to divining rod equipment utilizing the principals of magnetic attraction for providing a new game.

The present game combines the age-old mysteries of the divining rod and the lodestone to provide interesting answers or results, which are called herein psychomagnetic" results or readings. As a background, it should first be mentioned that in the past there were two veryclosely related ancient forms of divination. The first was Belomancy in which an arrow was tossed in the air so that a person could start in the direction toward which it finally pointed, and the second was Rhabdomancy, where a wand served a similar purpose but was retained lightly in the grasp of the operator thereby allowing the wand to waiver until it settled on a course.

According to history, these devices became more than just primitive directional finders. They were used to indicate an object, pick out a person from a group, and answer questions by pointing one way for yes and another for no. Rhabdomancy, in particular, lent itself to further development by the wise" men of their day, whose wands could designate scrolls on which names had been written. The wand came to be recog' nized as a symbol of magical authority, a distinction that it held up until modern times.

Meanwhile, however, the earlier practitioners of this type of divination, the Chaldeans and the Persians, had carried it into Scythia, the region north of the Black Sea; and from there, it eventually reached some of the Germanic tribes. They frequently practiced it in crude form, simply using twigs or small branches from trees, casting them on the ground, or gripping them, whichever suited the particular purpose or occasion.

Along with the divining rod was another ancient discovery that was popularly associated with it, though one belonged in the mental realm and the other was purely physical. That other marvel was the lodestone, a peculiar type of mineral rock which had the power of attracting iron. For centuries this phenomenon was attributed to a magical or supernatural force, and with the invention of the mariners compass toward the Thirteenth Century AD. the superstition increased. Since the compass constantly pointed north, people imagined that there must be a huge mountain of magnetic iron somewhere in that icy realm, powerful enough to draw the nails from an approaching ship and thereby wreck it.

Such beliefs forged a stronger link between the compass and the divining rod, particularly in mining areas. Only iron drew the compass needle from the true north, but it seemed logical that other metals might give offinvisible emanations akin to magnetism that could be picked up by the divining rod. it was put to the test in the Hartz Mountains of Germany as early as the year 1430 using the primitive rods cut from tree branches, and soon it became an accepted method of locating sites for new mines.

While various types of rods were used, including both straight and curved, the most popular form was a forked tree branch that enabled the operator to grip both ends and extend the main portion forward so that it would dip when attracted by the underground metal.

According to contemporary accounts, this form of divination was successful and it was later brought to England by German miners who were hired todevelop new mines in Cornwall and Wales. There, the results were reportedly quite satisfactory and the only reason that it was finally abandoned wasbecause after many years, the mines were worked out and there was no use bothering with them any longer.

Meanwhile, in France, divinershad been using forked rods to locate lost objects and trace missing persons, but that also proved to be a limited field. As with all new discoveries and inventions that have proven their worth, the trend was to put the divining rod to the greatest possible use and that proved to be the search for water, the universal element which all'humanity needs. Again, success greeted the diviners and waterwitching as it came to be known, spread rapidly through Europe and America, and today, after several centuries, it is still practiced.

Another, theory offered to explain dowsing, as water- Witching is more correctly termed, is that the dowser, while walking above an underground stream, subconsciously picks up a slight vibration and responds with an instinctive muscular action that causes the rod to dip. If true, this is no more remarkable than the fact that a scientific instrument called the seismograph can register tremors from an earthquake thousands of miles away. But something more than vibration is obviously involved when modern dowsers apparently find water by running a divining rod above a large-scale map, instead of the actual ground.

All this has produced further theories involving cosmic rays or occult forces, which in turn can be linked with astrological lore and planetary influences, while modern experimenters with the divining rod have attributed its operation to extrasensory perception, thus merging the old with the new.

With this background in mind, be it true or folklore, the present concepts may be generally described as a new combination of the age-old ideas of Rhabdomancy and the lodestone to provide a new and novel game for producing psychomagnetic" results. The present game equipment includes a magnetic divining rod device having handles and a balanced rod pivotally supported thereby. A pointer end of the rod includes a magnet, and with the rod pivotally hung and balanced from the handles, it is sensitive to the slightest subconscious impulse. A gameboard is provided having a metal innerlayer to which the magnet is attracted when the pointer end is moved sufficiently close to the board. With certain indicia on the board, either printed thereon or in the form of charts or cards, the attraction of the pointer to any particular indicia provides what may be termed a psychomagnetic reading or answer.

The concepts of this game and equipment used therein briefly described above and discussed in more detail below are the subject of copending US. patent application Ser. No. 12,907 now US. Pat. No. 3,640,537 titled Magnetic Divining Rod Game Equipment" filed in the name of Messrs. Klamer and Levy. The present invention relates to a particular form of magnetic divining rod device wherein therod portion thereof may be readily adjusted for achieving desired balance thereof and firmly maintained in the selected position, and which may be manufactured relatively inexpensively.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of this invention to provide a novel construction for a magnetic divining rod device.

It is an additional object of this invention to provide an adjustable magnetic divining rod device for use as game equipment.

These and other objects and features of the present invention will become better understood through a consideration of the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present magnetic divining rod device;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view of the rod and support bracket of the device of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the rod and supporting bracket taken along a line 3A--3A of FIG. 3A;

FIGS. 3C and 3D are fragmentary views of portions of the device;

FIG. 4A is a plan view of the present gameboard;

FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of the gameboard illustrating its laminated construction.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary set of Planatary cards for use in the game;

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary set of Zodiac cards;

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary set of Numerology cards; and

FIG; 8 illustrates an exemplary set of Divination cards.

Briefly, there is disclosed herein a new game and suitable equipment used in playing the game. The equipment includes a magnet divining rod device comprising a handle member having pivoted thereunder an elongated rod which is weighted at one end and has a magnet affixed to the other end thereof, the latter end serving as the pointer end of the rod. The rod is attached to a support bracket, and is adjustable with respect to the bracket for balancing the rod, and the bracket is pivotally coupled with the underside of the handle member. The gameboard may be of any suitable size and form and have at least a metallic portion to which the magnet of the pointer may be attracted. An exemplary board is of laminated construction with a thin steel sheet laminated between paper and/or chipboard. The playing cards have various indicia thereon and may be circular and cut from suitable paper material.

Turning now to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present magnetic divining rod device. This device includes a handle member generally designated 10 which is composed of a pair of handles 11 and 12 joined to a central support section 13. The entire structure 11-13 may be formed of any suitable material, and

typically is molded of polypropylene, and may be of any desired form and shape. A wire brad 14 is press fitted into a pair of apertures in the underside of the support section 13. A support bracket 15 is hung from terbalance 21 at the other end thereof. The pointer 20 has a magnet 22 secured thereto, and the counterbalance 21 has a weight 23 secured thereto. The entire rod 16 may be molded from plastic, and the magnet 22 and weight 23 may be heat sealed in the respective ends of the rod. The pointer 20 of the rod is off set several degrees, for example 10, from the longitudinal axis of the rod as best seen in FIG. 3A. This offset enables the entire device to be tilted downward slightly while maintaining the magnet 22 substantially parallel with the gameboard while playing the game as will be explained subsequently.

The rod portion 19 includes an intermediate rectangular section 25 having V-grooves 26 on the upper part thereof. These grooves mate with similar V-grooves 27 in the lower portion 28 of the support bracket 15. As is best seen in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the lower portion 28 of the bracket 15 is in the form of a rectangular channel into which'the section 25 of the rod 19 fits. The V- grooves on the section 25 and bracket 15 allow relative adjustment, and thus balancing, of the rod 16 and also provide a tight friction fit to secure the rod 19 to the support 15. This is a relatively simple and easily manufactured construction whereby both adjustment and a secure fit are obtained. The balance of the rod 16 is changed by removing the rod from the channel section 28 and reinserting the rod at a different position, but with the grooves 26 and 27 properly mating.

The gameboard 30 with which the magnetic divining rod device is used is illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B. The board 30 is essentially in the form of a typical gameboard and may be made to fold in the middle as indicated by dashed lines 31, but is of particular laminated construction inasmuch as the board must include on its surface or within its construction a suitable metal to which the magnet 22 is attracted. An exemplary laminated structure is illustrated in FIG. 4B and includes (a) an upper layer of paper 32 such as lithograph label stock, (b) a sandwich of 50 pound book stock 33, two mil steel 34, and 50 pound book stock 35,

(c) a layer 36 of shipboard, such as twenty-one basis chipboard, and finally (d) a back wrapper 37. The various layers may be secured together with any suitable adhesive. An exemplary board is 19 ii; inches square with two pieces of steel 34a and 34b as indicated in FIG. 4A, each slightly smaller than each board half to provide a three-sixteenths inch margin all around each piece of steel. With this size board, the length of the rod 16 may be 18 33 inches. A suitable magnet may be 1 H16 inch long, and three-sixteenths inch wide and high.

The board includes suitable markings to indicate positions for the playing cards. These markings include the nine circles 40-48 around the upper part of the sun 49 and the lower Planetary, Divination, Fate, Zodiac", and Numerology circles 50-54 at the bottom of the board. The lower four circles 56-59 indicate the original sections where the playing cards (FIGS. 5-8) normally are stacked.

Although it will be appreciated that any suitable indicia may be provided on the board in any suitable manner, such as printing directly thereon, separate charts, separate cards, and so forth, individual playing cards as illustrated in FIGS. 5 through 8 are preferred. Each of thesecards has various indicia printed thereon to provide a reading" in producing the psychomagnetic" results mentioned earlier. FIG. 5 illustrates suitable Planetary cards, FIG. 6 illustrates suitable Zodiac cards, FIG. 7 illustrates suitable Numerology cards, and FIG. 8 illustrates suitable Divination cards. Each card may be diecut to a circle having a diameter of 2 V4 inches from three-ply paper stock. The indicia and suitable colors may be imprinted thereon. For example, one side of the cards are imprinted as illustrated in FIGS. 5 through 8, and the backs of these cards may be labelled Planetary," Zodiac," Numerology," and Divination.

In playing a game with the present magnetic divining rod equipment, certain cards are placed on the gameboard 30. The handles 11 and 12 of the divining rod device are held with both hands of the operator and with the pointer 20 facing away from the operator. The pointer 20 should be about four inches above the gameboard and substantially parallel thereto with the pointer 20 floating above the cards. The divining rod device 10 is then moved slowly over the entire set of cards from one end to the other while lowering it gradually, but without conscious control, until it dips sufficiently far that it is drawn to one card. The indicia on the face of this card then provides certain information depending upon which aspect of the present game is being conducted. Set forth below are suitable and eitemplary rules which may be used in playing the present game.

The rod 16 is adjusted with respect to the bracket as noted earlier so that the pointer 20 tips down slightly. Each set of cards illustrated in respective FIGS. 5 through 8 is shuffled and placed face down on the four lower circles 56-59 at the bottom of the gameboard 30. Different types of readings can be made. For a full reading, the Planetary cards illustrated in FIG. 5 are placed face down on the nine circles -48 around the sun 49 at the top of the gameboard 30. It is not necessary to place the cards down in any particular order, and the tenth card is placed face down in the Fate circle 52 below the sun. The rod device 10 is held above the board with the pointer 20 approximately four inches above the board as noted earlier. It is moved slowly over the entire line of nine circles 40-48 above the sun from one end to the other, and is lowered gradually until it dips down onto one card. The

designated card is turned up and placed face up in the Planetary circle 50. The other Planetary cards are removed from the upper circles 40-48 and replaced in their original section 56 at the bottom of the board, with the exception of the card in the Fate circle 52 which remains through the next stage of the game. The selected Planetary card which is now face up on the Planetary circle 50 indicates the subject best suited for continued divination. A question is mentally selected pertaining to the subject on the face up Planetary card. For example, with the card Venus-Love and Romance, the question may be, Is love coming my way now? The Divination cards on the circles 57 are now used in finding an answer to the above question. The nine Divination cards illustrated in FIG. 8 are placed face down on the nine circles 40-48 around the sun in any order. Again, the rod 16 is moved over the layout until drawn down to one of the cards. The selected card is turned face up and if it indicates Yes, No, Favorable, or

, Doubtful, it is placed on the Divination circle 51 on the gameboard! The other Divination cards are removed and replaced in their section 57 :at the bottom of the gameboard.

If the selected card indicates Not Concentrating, the Divination cards are gathered up, mixed and replaced at 57, using the rod for another try. If the card that turns up indicates Fate, the card now in the planetary circle 50 is removed and put back with the others at 56, and the card in the Fate circle 52 is turned up and transferred to the Planetary circle 50 instead. Since this provides a new subject, all the Divination cards are gathered, mixed, and replaced at 57 while concentrating on a new question.

As an example of a change of this nature, if the Planetary card from the Fate circle should be Neptune- Travel, the question, Is love coming my way now? might be changed to, Am I going to take a trip? Again, the rod is used to obtain a psychomagnetic" answer.

Whatever the answer from the Divination cards, the Zodiac cards can then be used to determine the time of its fulfillment. The nine Zodiac cards are placed at random in the upper circles 40-48 and the other three are stacked in the Fate circle 52, all face down. The rod is used again to find a card which, when turned up, will indicate the period in which to expect results, good or bad. This card is placed in the Zodiac circle 53.

Assuming that the question, Is love coming my way? was answered by a Yes card, the Zodiac card is used to tell when. If No is the answer, one mentally asks, When should I ask this question again?" or How long will I have to wait?" If the Divination card said Favorable, the Zodiac card indicates a period which is most ardent in the purpose. If Doubtful, it indicates the period when caution is to be used.

As an alternate example, assume the question came from the Neptune-Travel card and was worded, Am I going to take a trip? and if the Divination card should indicate Yes, the Zodiac card indicates the probable period. If the Divination card should be No, it would signify not at that. period, or that a trip should be avoided at that time. With Favorable, that could be the time to take the trip if possible; with Doubtful, adisappointment or postponement is indicated.

If the period stated on theZodiac card is just past, almost gone, or in any way doubtful, the top card in the Fate circle 52 can be turned up to obtain an alternative answer. In fact, turning up that card is a good policy, as it may suggest a time for action, or inaction, as the case may be.

For a final test, the Zodiac cards are removed from the upper circles 40-48, replaced in their section 58, and the Numerology cards are used to determine a specific day which may be favorable or which should be avoided. To do this, the Numerology cards numbered from 1 to 7 are mixed and placed face down on the upper circles 41-47, leaving the end circles open. The rod is passed over the seven-card layout. The card selected indicates the day of the week, counting the days of the week as l for Sunday, through to 7 for Saturday, on which results may occur.

In all full readings as described above, there are four regular steps, utilizing the Planetary cards, Divination cards, Zodiac cards and Numerology cards, in that order. Even if a question is answered by No on a Divination card, the reading can be continued, because the Zodiac and Numerology cards tell the period and day of negative results or disappointment.

However, with more specialized questions, there is no reason to continue if a Divination card comes up with No as an answer. For example: in its first run, the rod settles on the Planetary card for Mercury, which signifies Luck or Chance. The question Should I invest in a new industrial plant? is asked, and the Divination cards are placed around the sun. if the rod brings up the answer No, that is it, and it is no use trying to find out when not to invest. The subject should be dropped and proceed on to some other question, or another person should have a try.

As the questions become still more specialized, the routine can be altered further to suit the case. That in itself provides intriguing situations which produce more fun.

Special readings and their treatment are discussed below.

1. The Planetary cards are dealt to the circles 40-48 and the rod settles on Venue-Love and Romance. The individual putsthe mental question: Am I going to have a new romance? The Divination cards are dealt and the answer comes up Yes. (If No, the question would be dropped; but with Favorable or Doubtful, it can be carried further, as with Yes.)

Now, the individual makes a list of persons who might figure in the new romance, numbering them, as: l-.lanie, 2--Mary, 3-Kay, 4-Helen, 5-Candy, and 6-Mystery. The sixth mystery should be included in case the individual is uncertain about most of the others. In any case, the Numerology cards are now utilized, from 1 to 6 (or 1 to 5, if the mystery is not included). Again, the rod is called into play to pick the future object of the individuals affection.

2. The Planetary cards are delt and the rod settles on Mercury-Luck and Chance. Assume that it so happens that the individual is thinking of going to the races tomorrow. He places the Divination cards and asks:

' Should I go the races tomorrow? If hegoes to the races regularly, that would be unnecessary, but if there is any doubt, he should ask this question. Assume that the rod responds Yes. Again, the individual mixes and places those same cards and asks Have I any chance of winning? If the answer is Yes, Favorable, or even Doubtful, he can continue. But assuming that the answer is on the positive or possible side, then he deals out the Numerology cards, asking the question, Which is the best race? If it comes up 3, he uses the same cards again, asking, Which is the best horse in the race? If it comes up 6, this indicates Number 6 in the 3rd race.

3. The Planetary cards are delt and the rod settles on Jupiter-Wealth and Ambition. Assume that the individual has three prospective business partners, who might help gain these aims. The Divination cards are delt out, and an example question is, Can I succeed in my coming deal? The rod then settles on Yes or Favorable. The problem now, is which partner. They can be numbered and the Numerology cards used, but their birth signs can be used if their birthdays are known-and are at different times of the year. One may be called Mr. Taurus, another Mr. Scorpio, the third,

Mr. Libra, and the three Zodiac cards bearing those signs are layed out. Again, the rod is used to see what turns up.

4. Assuming that a girl about to be married turns up a card saying Venus-Love and Romance, her next question might be: Will I have any children? That calls for the Divination cards and if the rod settles on Yes, or Favorable, the next question could be: How many? That would means mixing the Numerology cards from 1 to 7 and running along the entire row.

The present game also includes three ways of testing the powers of the inner mind through the psychomagnetic" attraction of the rod, all following the pattern of experiments which have been conducted a in parapsychology laboratories at various colleges.

The first is a clairvoyance test. Literally interpreted as clear seeing, this represents the psychic faculty of gaining an image or impression of an unseen object. To test this function, two or more cards of one set are mixed and placed face down on the circles of the board. The rod is used as described above to pick one card psychomagnetically. If the individual has clairvoyant power, this seemingly random choice will be guided to the card that represents the subject or answer that is subconsciously sought.

The next is the precognition test. In this case, the cards are delt face up, so that the individual is aware of each subject, or all possible answers. The procedure is the same, but in using the rod, a mood of complete impartiality is maintained so that apparently the rod alone picks out the card that represents the probable future event. If there is a precognitive power, the inner knowledge is the guiding force. I

The third is the telepathic test." Worked with cards either face up or face down. Other people concentrate upon one of the cards, noting it by name or number if face up; while with face down cards, they merely choose a card according to its position in the row. The individual or consultant runs the rod back and forth in the usual fashion until it settles upon a card. One lucky hit does not necessarily indicate a telepathic ability of picking up other peoples thoughts, but repeated successes that run well above the law of average may be significant.

The telepathic test may be worked two ways. (1) In the presence of the people who are concentrating on the card; they deal them while the individual working the rod is out of the room. The individual returns and proceeds to use the rod. (2) With the people absent, thus making it a case of remote telepathic control. They deal the cards while the individual is out; then they come from the room and the individual goes in, calling for them to return after the rod scores its hit. Either way, turns may be taken by different people, each acting as the telepathist, to see which member of the group can run up the biggest score of successful hits.

Other questions and uses for the present game equipment will be apparent. It should be appreciated that the foregoing are exemplary rules for the present game which is for the purpose of providing fun and enjoyment.

The present embodiment of this invention is to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced thereby.

What is claimed is: 1. An adjustable divining rod device for use in a game comprising handle means by which said divining rod device may be held by an operator, divining rod means having a first end with a magnet 10 affixed thereto and a second end serving as a counterbalance, said rod means having an intermediate grooved section, and bracket means pivotally coupled with said handle means and secured to said intermediate section of said rod means, said bracket means having a grooved portion having a plurality of positions for mating said bracket means with the grooved section of said intermediate section for releasably 2O securing said intermediate section of said rod means to said bracket means thereby preventing relative motion of said rod means on said bracket means along the length of said rod means.

2. A device as in claim 1 wherein said bracket means includes an elongated channel section, said channel section comprising said grooved portion of said bracket means.

3. A device as in claim 1 wherein said bracket means includes an upper end coupled with said handle means, and a lower end comprising an elongated substantially rectangular channel section having a plurality of grooves on the upper interior portion of said channel section, and

said intermediate grooved section of said rod means comprises a substantially rectangular portion having grooves on the upper surface thereof for mating with the grooves in said bracket means. 

1. An adjustable divining rod device for use in a game comprising handle means by which said divining rod device may be held by an operator, divining rod means having a first end with a magnet affixed thereto and a second end serving as a counterbalance, said rod means having an intermediate grooved section, and bracket means pivotally coupled with said handle means and secured to said intermediate section of said rod means, said bracket means having a grooved portion having a plurality of positions for mating said bracket means with the grooved section of said intermediate section for releasably securing said intermediate section of said rod means to said bracket means thereby preventing relative motion of said rod means on said bracket means along the length of said rod means.
 2. A device as in claim 1 wherein said bracket means includes an elongated channel section, said channel section comprising said grooved portion of said bracket means.
 3. A device as in claim 1 wherein said bracket means includes an upper end coupled with said handle means, and a lower end comprising an elongated substantially rectangular channel section having a plurality of grooves on the upper interior portion of said channel section, and said intermediate grooved section of said rod means comprises a substantially rectangular portion having grooves on the upper surface thereof for mating with the grooves in said bracket means. 